Blur
Blur are an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure(1991) incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing. Following a stylistic change—influenced by English guitar pop groups such as The Kinks, The Beatles and XTC, Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape(1995). As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a famous chart battle with rival band Oasis dubbed "The Battle of Britpop". In recording their follow-up album Blur in 1997, the band underwent another reinvention, showing influence from the lo-fi style of American indie rock groups. "Song 2", one of the album's singles, brought Blur mainstream success in the US. The last album featuring Blur's original line-up, 13 (1999) found the band members experimenting with electronic music and gospel music, as Albarn wrote more personal lyrics. In May 2002, Coxon left Blur during the recording of their seventh album, Think T''ank'' (2003). Containing electronic sounds and more minimal guitar work, the album was marked by Albarn's growing interest in hip-hop and African music. After a 2003 tour without Coxon, Blur did no studio work or touring as a band, as members engaged in other projects. In 2009 Blur reunited, with Coxon back in the fold, for a series of successful concerts. Band Members *Damon Albarn *Alex James *Dave Rowntree *Graham Coxon Band Biography Blur is one of the foremost examples of the Britpop genre, particularly one of the most successful and critically acclaimed. Some folks consider them a one-hit wonder with "Song 2", though they've had many other successes, though more typically in the UK than in the US. In 2002, Graham Coxon left and did a solo record, although many fans found both the solo album and the sans-Coxon Blur followup to be disappointing. Discography Albums *''Leisure'' *''Modern Life Is Rubbish'' *''Parklife'' *''The Great Escape'' *''Blur'' *''13'' *''Think Tank'' *Live At Budokan *Bustin' + Dronin' *10 Year Anniversary Box Set *Blur: The Best Of *The Special Collector's Edition *Death Of A Party *I Love Her *Close *Sing (To Me) *Colours *Some Glad Morning EPs *B-Sides Gig Singles *She's So High *There's No Other Way *Bang *Popscene *For Tomorrow *Chemical World *Sunday Sunday *Girls & Boys *To The End *Parklife *End Of A Century *Country House *The Universal *Stereotypes *Charmless Man *Beetlebum *Song 2 *On Your Own *M.O.R. *Tender *Coffee & TV *No Distance Left To Run *Out Of Time *Crazy Beat *Good Song *Won't Do It (demo) / Come Together (demo) Appears On Compilations Soundtracks Mix CDs * Plastic Music Exchange 2006 - Djerrid Radio Shows *Chris Morris Music Show Episode 11 *Chris Morris Music Show Episode 10: This week, Peter Baynham flies Germaine Greer to Dartmouth *Chris Morris Music Show Episode 5 *Chris Morris Music Show Episode 4 *Chris Morris Music Show Episode 3: Continuing his bid to save the network *Chris Morris Music Show Episode 1: On paper the show may look like a list of records, but on air it's an activated warhead. It thrives on its profound disregard for its consequences *Chris Morris Music Show Episode 24 *Chris Morris Music Show Episode 23: Pre-recorded 24 hours in advance for the censors but with new profanities added secretly on the day of broadcast to show them who's really in control *Chris Morris Music Show Episode 16 *Chris Morris Music Show Episode 14: Tonight, with a later slot in the schedule, he can be even more outrageous than usual Further Reading * Wikipedia Page Category:Musical groups established in 1989 Category:English musical groups Category:British rock music groups Category:Alternative Rock groups Category:Britpop groups Category:Indie rock groups Category:Virgin Records artists Category:Parlophone Records artists Category:Musical quartets Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2008 Category:SST Records artists Category:Alternative metal groups Category:Rap rock groups